5 Steps to Overcome Client Resistance

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Client resistance is frustrating.

After all, they are paying us good money to advise them, they should listen to us! When someone says “no” to something we want them to do, our natural reaction is to try harder to convince them. We think if we have a great argument, we will win them over to our point of view. But more often than not, arguing with a client, or trying harder to convince them has the opposite effect of what we want. It increases rather than decreases client resistance.

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Adapt during stressful times

How to Recover from a Costly Mistake

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In hindsight, I don’t know how I missed it. Has that ever happened to you? A big problem was right in front of your face, but you didn’t see it? It’s embarrassing, even devastating, but that doesn’t mean you can’t recover from a costly mistake. In the hopes that others can learn from my failure, I am going to share my embarrassing, business damaging over sight.

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GAME-Changers for Your Small Business in 2015

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2015 is approaching rapidly! Every year, I use the last month to do strategic planning in preparation for the following year. Year-end is a great time to reflect on the year’s WINS and losses, along with all there is to be learned. Then, plan the year ahead.

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The Pumpkin Plan Book

Lead Generation Through Word of Mouth

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If you’re in business, then you know about the importance of lead generation through customer recommendations, also known as the word of mouth effect. The cost of acquiring a referred new customer is much lower than the cost of acquiring a new customer through other marketing efforts.

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5 Steps to Make an Angry Customer Happy

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You open your email to find an angry, nasty note from a client. Or you pick up the phone, and you hear yelling on the other end. If you have customers, then you’ve experienced an angry one at least a time or two. If you haven’t yet, it’s bound to happen sometime. I’m not trying to be negative here. No matter how much emphasis you place on providing a great customer experience, mistakes and misunderstandings happen, and sometimes, those situations lead to angry customers!

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Customer Service Problems are Really Opportunities

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How you deal with a customer service issue can make or break your company. You can work hard to build a positive brand image, but mishandle a customer problem, and it can all go down the tubes very quickly. Most businesses rely heavily on word of mouth. In today’s age of social media, word of mouth can spread like wildfire. Bad word of mouth, even faster.

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Customer Complaints Driving You Crazy?

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Ever had a customer who drove you crazy? You may want to fire that customer. Yes, you read that right. Sometimes, you are better off letting a customer go, rather than dealing with on-going complaints.

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Is Your Overweight Business Crushing You?

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To survive the critical first 5 years of business, we business owners typically try all kinds of things to see what works, to create a demand for our products or services and to find clients or customers. Then once we find those customers, we try to serve all kinds of different needs.  We say “yes” to every opportunity that comes our way because we are determined to make a go of our business.

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The Pumpkin Plan Book

The One Question You Should Never Leave Out Of Your Customer Surveys

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We all know that customer surveys are an important and useful tool. They help assure that we are offering a good product or service. They reveal areas for improvement in our business.

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The Pumpkin Plan Book

The Two Words That Indicate Your Coaching Business Will Never Grow

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When you are asked to describe your target market, do you lead off your response with “Anyone who. . .”?

If you do, I would bet money on the fact that your coaching business won’t grow. With my first business, a computer network integrator, I used to say that we served “Anyone who had a small or medium sized business, in New Jersey, and needed computers.”  Then I would be quick to blurt out, “In other words, practically everyone needs me.”  Those words are the lead indicator to a struggling practice.

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